Top athletic official at Arkansas school district quits over mascot flap

FORT SMITH -- The Fort Smith School Board voted Monday to delay until next year a planned school tax election in part to gain voters' support and counter those who opposed a move last year to change the Southside High School mascot.

Board President Deanie Mehl said the main reason for the delay was to devote attention to hiring a new school superintendent to succeed Benny Gooden, who announced last month he will retire June 30 after 30 years in the position.

"Our attention has to be focused on finding the best superintendent for our district," Mehl said.

But Mehl also said the election issue must be presented properly to the public to gain voters' support after the decision last year to remove the Rebel as Southside's mascot and "Dixie" as the fight song because of concern the Confederate symbols fostered racism.

Two School Board members who voted for the mascot change were defeated in the September school election, and the issue continues to divide the community.

Longtime Fort Smith Athletic Director Jim Rowland announced his resignation Monday night during the public forum portion of the meeting after criticizing Fort Smith attorney Joey McCutchen, the leader of the group opposed to the mascot change, for causing a "poisonous atmosphere" in the school system.

"We have seen one individual, motivated by questionable motives, including a thirst for power and publicity, use the mascot issue to incite a small number of followers to turn a whole community against its school representatives," said Rowland, who has been with the school system for 53 years.

Rowland then asked Southside High School football Head Coach Jeff Williams to make the resignation announcement for him, which drew gasps and groans from the crowd of about 100.

The remaining 13 speakers in the forum, including many district coaches and an angry Southside High School Principal Wayne Haver, praised Rowland for his contribution to the school district and denounced McCutchen for his behavior regarding the mascot issue.

"I'm as angry as I have ever been about the results that are happening," Haver said. "The vendetta has been put against Dr. Gooden and against Mr. Rowland, and after tonight there probably will be a vendetta against me."

Rowland said afterward that he didn't know if he would rescind his resignation.

McCutchen had urged the board last year to put off the millage election because its decision to eliminate the Rebel mascot destroyed people's trust in them. The lack of trust could doom the board's effort to pass the millage increase, he said at that time.

McCutchen addressed the board Monday, during which he again insisted the Rebel mascot and "Dixie" fight song were not racist. If it were racist, McCutchen said, so was Abraham Lincoln, who he called a white supremacist and supporter of apartheid.

The board agreed to hire Rogers attorney David Matthews to handle any litigation regarding the mascot issue after the district's attorney, Mitch Llewellyn, asked to remove himself from the issue because of a conflict of interest.

In a letter to Mehl last week, Llewellyn wrote that threats were directed against him and his daughter in Facebook postings.

"The escalating nature of these postings and Attorney McCutchen directly stating to me frequently how ugly this is going to get causes me concern for the safety of my family," Llewellyn wrote.

The board voted 5-1 Monday to push back the election from the annual school election Sept. 20 it had been discussing to an unspecified date in April. Board member Wade Gilkey voted against the resolution. Board member David Hunton was absent.

Gilkey said the millage election should be held during the regular school election in September, either this year or next, to save the $30,000 it could cost to hold a special election.

The board has been considering asking voters to approve an additional three mills to raise money for the improvements. The school district's property tax rate is 36.5 mills: 25 mills for operation and maintenance and 11.5 mills for debt service. The district has not had an increase in the tax rate since 1987.

The estimated $83 million project consists of constructing an events complex that would include a performing arts building and multipurpose arena; improvements and expansion work for Southside High School, Kimmons and Ramsey junior high schools and to Trusty, Ballman and Cook elementary schools and two tornado safe rooms for Northside and Southside high schools.

The school district would be eligible for state matching funding for some parts of the project and would have to fund other parts entirely with district funds, Gooden told School Board members last year.

Mehl said she anticipated a nationwide search for Gooden's successor. The board Monday was scheduled to interview two firms applying to conduct the search and was scheduled to interview two more companies today.

State Desk on 05/24/2016

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